Tag fastening device



March 2s, 1939.l

c. A. FLQOD TAGV FASTENING DEVICE Filed Dec. 7, 1935 In ver2 for; Carl A.'Z0,0d, 4

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Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE TAG FASTENING DEVICE Application December 7, 1936, Serial No. 114,609`

9 Claims.

This invention relates to fastening devices of the type provided with a flexible strand and a cooperating retainer such as a retaining bar, and particularly to such devices employed in combi- 5 nation with tags which are supported thereby.

The present invention provides an improved device of the general type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 723,170, filed April 30, 1934, now United States Patent No. 2,063,155. The device disclosed in that application was adapted to be employed with a needle for inserting the bar through an opening in a piece of fabric or the like, and such a needle may be used with the devices of the present invention, although these devices may, if desired, have more or less pointed end portions adapted toI penetrate the fabric.

In accordance with this invention, the retainer may be formed from a sheet metal blank whichis first shaped to provide a shallow channel member or a member having a semi-cylindrical portion with low upstanding parallel flanges. This member may then be secured to a string loop. For this purpose a part of the member spaced from one end may be bent over into a tubular portion which encircles a single portion of the string, the string extending through this portion and out of either end thereof. Thus the retainer is associated with a continuous string section rather than with string ends as is the case with the retainers shown in my above-identied application.

A retainer of this type may have a substantially uniform cross section for the major portion of its length so that relatively weak sections which are liable to break when subjected to localized strains are avoided. The string loop may be secured to the retainer so that the latter tends to lie flatly against the face of the fabric to which the device is secured, and the string may be associated with the retainer in such a manner that only a small opening is required to permit the device to be inserted through the fabric. Furthermore, the string sections extending from the retainer may be close toeach other so thatv when the string -loop is pulled, there is little tendency to enlarge the opening through which the retainer was inserted.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged isometric View of a bent blank member which may be employed to make a retainer in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 isa similarview showing the manner in ywhich the retainer is secured to a portion of a string loop;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the assembly shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross section of this assembly;

Fig. 5 is Va broken elevational View of the retaining device, showing the same associated with a tag and in a positionwhich it occupies as it is being attached to a sheet article, the latter being shown in section; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view, but showing the retainer in its Vnormal attached position.

A retainer of the type which is preferred for the purposes of the present vinvention may be formed of a blank I, such as is-shown in Fig. 1, such a blank Vproviding a shallow channel, i. e., preferably having a, substantially semicylindri cal lower-portion and having low parallel flanges extending upwardly rfrom the oppositesides of this semi-cylindrical portion. Thus the blankl may be regarded as having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to that of a shallow U. At one end of the blank, if desired, the flanges may decrease in height and gradually converge to dene a point 2 which preferably may be fairly blunt. At the opposite Vend of the blank the metal may be similarly formed, or it may be cut straight across, or the ends of the flanges at one or both ends of the blank may be slightly rounded or beveled, as designated by numeral :tandl shown more clearly in Fig. 3.

Obviouslysuch a blank may be formed by cutting a suitable fiat sheet of metal and then bending the same to provide a channel section, or a continuousmetal strip having the desired cross section may be cut away to provide a plurality of y the blanks I. A blank of this type'is formed into a retainer I*i and secured to a single continuous section of a string loop or the like in a very simple manner. Thus, referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a small portion of a string 5 may be disposed in the inter- Ymediate part of the channel provided by blank l; v

and the flanges at this part of the channel may be bent or crimped toward each other to encircle this portion of the string loop, such downwardly bent portions 'l of the sheet metal flanges being shown in Fig. 2'. Thus the intermediate part of.l the blank is bent into generally cylindrical form so that the parallel anges have portions which are in direct juxtaposition, although the major portion of these anges may be spaced in` the same manner asin the original blank, shown inV Fig. 1. It is evident that, as shown, the string sections extend outwardly from the ends of the cylindrical portion of the retainer la, passing between the flanges of the channel s-ections at each end of this intermediate portion,

It is furthermore evident that, aside from the pointed end of the retainer and aside from the slightly beveled opposite end, if the same is employed, the same amount of metal stock is ernployed throughout the length of the retainer. Thus the retainer has substantially the same uniform strength throughout all portions thereof which are ordinarily subjected to major strain when it is attempted to pull the string away from the retainer. Accordingly breaking of the retainer under such conditions is precluded.

A retainer of this type may be Vassociated with any suitable string loop, ordinarily being com bined with such a loop which is connected to a tag, such as a price tag or the like. Thus, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a tag T may have .a flap F pasted over end portions I l of the string forming the loop 5.

A device of this type may be employed, for example, to secure a tag to a sheet article A of fabric or the like, such as a garment, by inserting the pointed end of the retainer into the fabric and pushing the retainer through the small opening thus made. As this occurs, one of the strand sections extending from the cylindrical portion of the retainer finds a place in the channel of the retainer opposite its point in the general position shown in Fig. 5, and the other string is compressed against this string. Thus only a small opening is required to permit the retainer and the string to be passed through the fabric A. When the retainer has been passed through the fabric, the string may be drawn taut and the retainer is held against the inner surface of the fabric, i. e., the surface opposite the tag T, as shown in Fig. 6. Under these conditions, the pull upon the retainer is uniform so that it tends to lie at right angles to the string sections extending therefrom and accordingly, when the string sections are pulled, the retainer tends to lie fiat against the fabric rather than twisting or tilting.

Preferably the cylindrical portion of the retainer is relatively short so that the string sections extending away from. the retainer at opposite ends of this portion are close to each other. Thus, for example, the tubular portion may be shorter than each of the` channel portions-and preferably may have a length less than three times its diameter. Accordingly when the retainer is in normal operative position, shown in Fig. 6, the strings are close to each other, and even when the tag is pulled and the string drawn taut, there is little tendency to enlarge the opening through which the strings extend. If desired, the tubular portion need not grip the string tightly, but the latter may be slidable in said portion.

Obviously this device may also be employed with any suitable string loop as, for instance, a knotted loop extendingV through an opening in a conventional string tag. If desired, both ends of the retainer may be provided with similar points or similar blunt ends. If preferred, the string sections may be twisted so that when a plurality of tags are provided, thestrings and retainers have less tendency to intertangle with each other.

It is evident that the present invention permits the provision of a very simple, sturdy and dependable fastening device of the type described and that such a fastening device may be constructed so that it can readily be applied, to a fabric article without the necessity of employing separate tools such as needles, althoughvsuch devices may be applied to fabric articles by suitable tools, if preferred.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An article of the class described comprising a tag, a retainer and a string loopconnecting the tag and retainer, said retainer having a tubular intermediate part through which a portion of the string loop extends with adjoining string portions extending from the ends of said part, the retainer having shallow channel portions merging into the tubular part and disposed at opposite sides thereof in substantial alignment therewith. 15

2. An article of the class described comprising a tag, a retainer and a string loop connecting the tag and retainer, said retainer being formed of an elongate sheet metal blank with opposite edges parallel through the major portion of its length, the mid portion of the blank being formed into a tubular part with said edges juxtaposed, the string loop having a portion extending through said tubular part and out of the opposite ends thereof, the retainer having a point, said edges converging at said point, the retainer having a channel portion between the tubular part and point, the edges being in sub stantially spaced parallelism in said channel portion.

3, Attaching device comprising a retainer having a tubular portion intermediate itsy ends and a channel portion on each side of the tubular portion, and a string having a part disposed in said tubular portion, the circumferential dimen- Z'als sions of said tubular and channel portions being approximately equal.

4. A fastening device of the class described comprising a metal retainer having channel portions of similar cross section with substantiallyparallel flanges and having a tubular intermediate portion, a strand having a section extenddiate portion, a strand having a single section.

extending through said tubular portion with the ends of said section extending out of the opposite ends of said tubular portion, the metal in said tubular portion having substantially the same cross-sectional area as the metal in the" adjoining parts of said end portions.

6. A fastening device of the class described comprising a metal retainer having end portions of similar cross section and having a tubular intermediate portion, a strand having a single sectionextending through said tubular portion with the ends of said section extending out of the opposite ends oi said tubular portion, at least one of said end portions terminating in a.. point.

'7. A fastening device of the class described comprising a metal retainer having channel portions of similar cross section with substantially parallel flanges and having a tubular intermediate portion, a strand having a sectionl extending through said tubular portion with the ends of `said section normally extending between the flanges of saidv channel portions at the opposite ends of said tubular portion, said tubular portion being shorter than each of said channel portions.

8. An attaching device for a tag, comprising a metal retainer, and a string loop connecting the same, said retainer being formed of a sheet metal blank, the edges of which are brought into juxtaposition to aiord a tubular part in which a section of the string loop is gripped with string sections respectively extending out of the opposite ends of said tubular part to the tag, the sheet metal blank being shaped to afford a portion of channel-like cross section between the tubular part and the end of the retainer, one of said string sections extending between the flanges of said portion of channel-like cross section.

9. An attaching device for a tag, comprising a metal retainer, anda string loop connecting the same, said retainer being formed of a sheet metal blank, the edges of which are brought into juxtaposition to afford a tubular part in which a section of the string loop is gripped with string sections respectively extending out of the opposite ends of said tubular part to the tag, the sheet metal blank being shaped to aord a portion of channel-like cross section between the tubular part. and the end of the retainer, one of said string sections extending between the anges of said portion of the channel-like cross section, said last-named portion terminating in a point at the end of the retainer.

CARL A. FLOOD. 

